Abortion is alive and well.
Lest anyone freak out at such a statement by taking those words literally, they are not an endorsement of abortion but they apply in other contexts.
One is how abortion has become a potent political issue in the 19 months since the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe decision which legalized abortion nationwide. For the 2024 elections, one survey indicated that 18 percent of potential voters view abortion as their top pivotal issue (one percentage point less than those concerned with protecting democracy and the Constitution).
In seven states, quite surprisingly in some of them, a majority of voters – in direct or indirect votes on abortion – rejected the efforts of legislators to limit the availability of abortions in the wake of the court’s June 2022 Dobbs ruling, which put the question of abortion protocols back in the hands of the states. In Wisconsin, Republicans have toyed with scheduling a referendum on limiting abortions to the first 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy.
It’s likely that many of the voters in the seven states are in favor of abortion. But how many of the votes in those majorities were a message to legislators, governors, and judges to keep their hands off the issue? The results in those seven states would suggest the legislators didn’t have their hands on the pulse of the public.
Indeed, a tabulation by the Society of Family Planning found that in the 12 months following the Dobbs ruling abortions across the nation (more than 900,000) increased by about 2,000 compared to the previous 12 months despite the newly imposed restrictions in multiple states. Way to go, you politicians, it shows how effective you are not.
Of the reported abortions, nearly 50 percent are by surgical removal of the living fetus while over 50 percent are by use of one or two pills (how an accurate account of the latter is possible is somewhat puzzling).
Yes, the purpose of laws (obviously not respected or observed by everyone) is to promote virtue. In that respect, banning abortion (the taking of life) is a virtue. Stated plainly, legalized abortion confers a legal right to kill a baby before birth.
In an ideal world, abortion would not be an issue. It would not be an issue if all pregnancies are willingly initiated (not the case for pregnancy by rape or incest) by persons who are committed to completing that pregnancy with a live birth – minus any loss of a fetus by a natural catastrophe.
But it’s not an ideal world. Regarding abortion, perhaps the best we can expect is to allow those directly affected, guided by their religious beliefs (which vary) and their doctors, to make a decision (a cherished freedom in the mindset of some).
What’s certain is that abortion is a vexing question on which many have tried to provide an answer.